NAAIGAL JAAKIRATHAI MOVIE REVIEW

After a lengthy hiatus of nearly 5 years, Sibiraj or rechristened as Sibi Sathyaraj is back to the silver screens. Joining venture with his 'Naanayam' director Shakti Soundar Rajan, Sibi has chosen a kid-friendly, cop-dog duo film, a genre forgotten by Hollywood themselves. Produced by Sathyaraj under Nathambal Film Factory banner, can 'Naaigal Jaakirathai' relaunch Sibi Sathyaraj's career in Tamizh cinema ?

Sibi Sathyaraj has given a decent enough performance and shows more confidence and maturity in his character handling. Though the character has more shades of comedy, he does try some serious bits here and there. There's plenty of room more for Sibi to improve and hope this film serve as a good relaunch platform for him. The star attraction of the film is of course Idoh, the lovely yet strong Belgian Shepherd ! Kudos to the entire team for pulling it off by making use a military-purpose trained god, in a proper manner. The action is not top-notch, but this is a good and novel attempt. Balaji Venugopal as the antagonist was an interesting choice, but his characterization lacks detailing and his acting falls flat in some portions. Arundhati, Manobala, Mayilsamy, Chenthu Mohan, Prinz Nithik and etc fill up the rest of the cast.

Ganesh's action choreography deserves mention, especially for the sequences designed for Idoh. The climax sequence has some heavy action for the dog and the director has made good use of the dog's capabilities. The warehouse shoot-out scene in the beginning phase of the film, is another well executed scene. JPK Prem's art direction sufficed the needs of the script. The set created in the forest reserve area and the set properties of Sibi Sathyaraj's house, was neatly created. Praveen K.L takes care of the editing and the ace editor ensured that the film is crisp in its length and straight to the point. The action sequences were well put together by Praveen K.L. Cinematography is handled by Nizar Shafi and his Ooty sequences are the highlights of his camera work, in this film. Not to forget, the color tone used for the rain shots, deserves mention as well.

Dharan Kumar's music is functional and songs do not really had any importance in the film. "En Nenjil" is the bonding song of Sibi Sathyaraj and Idoh, with plenty of funny, montage sequences shot for this song. "Oyadhe Oyadhe" is a situational song and is also shot on the pair, and has the hill stations of Ooty, as its backdrop. The theme song of the film, "Doggy Doggy" appears during the end credits and is shot like a music video, with Idoh being idolized like a movie star, though Sibi Sathyaraj's dance sequences were predominantly used. Dharan Kumar's background score was functional, and the highlight of his work would definitely be the score's recorded to project the bonding between the hero and his dog.

Shakti Soundar Rajan's script has a unique idea and some interesting elements but the film lacks fine writing and thorough detailing. The film's screenplay is not fully engaging and is missing fire it needed, though its pretty straightforward and doesn't waste much time. The emotional thread does help the screenplay to move forward, but the scenes are disjointed and is not cohesive. The dialogues are pretty ordinary and none of them leaves any sort of mark on the audience. The comedy portions are unnecessary, though such scenes are always forcibly inserted into the film, just for commercial purpose. In conclusion, the film is watchable in portion and but could have been much better, if not for the below par execution.

'Naaigal Jaakirathai' - Be more aware of dogs !


Ratings: 2.75/5 STARS

BY:TAMIL

ARANMANAI MOVIE REVIEW

Sundar.C, known for his slap-stick and sit-com based movies, is back with another offering but this time its in tune with the current flavor of horror comedy genre. Packed with the usual commercial 'masala' elements such as dance, comedy and action, can Sundar.C pull of another hit with a huge cast and a significantly higher budgeted, 'Aranmanai' ? Will the mix of horror and comedy be in a right proportion ?

Coming to the huge cast list, almost every frame in the film has more than 2 artistes involved and its a constant riot. But its an out-and-out female-centric film and the main lead roles are played by Hansika Motwani and Andrea Jeremiah. Hansika Motwani's second half show was decent enough for this film. She's surprisingly convincing as a village belle and looks bubbly and pleasing. Her screen presence is good as she keeps our attention well. Her lip-sync is getting better but still there's plenty of room to improve. Andrea Jeremiah fits the sensuous role perfectly, and her voice is an added advantage to her character, especially in the transformation scenes. Its definitely a good performance from her, but she somehow her character doesn't sink in to the proceedings easily. Sundar.C plays himself the most important male role and is functional in that role. Santhanam keeps us in splits, though not all of his one-liners were chuckle worthy. The big cast of the film includes Vinay Rai, Raai Laxmi, Kovai Sarala, Manobala, Kota Srinivasa Rao, Saravanan, Chitra Letchumanan, Santhana Bharathi, Swaminathan, Nithin Sathya, Aarthi, Ganesh, Akila, 'Kadhal' Dhandapani, Meera Krishnan, Alwa Vasu, Yogi Babu, Soundar, Gowtham, Raj Kapoor and etc. Though most of them were all over the screenplay, their relevance and importance to the script is a big question mark.

The film's technical aspects needs special mention, for their inputs. Vasuki Bhaskar's costume designing for the female leads are noteworthy, and all character's costumes blends in well with their respective characterizations. The film is loaded with VFX and computer graphics and the teams from Prasad EFX Group and Sinthu Graphics, deserves special mention. The final climax scene is completely ruled by the VFX, especially with the river water sequence and the solar eclipse effects. The color tone gave the climax a perfect look and its a visual treat indeed. Kudos to them ! Action choreography by 'Thalapathy' Dinesh was over-the-top, especially for the climax sequence, although Sundar.C's introductory fight scene was decent. Art director Gururaj deserves appreciation for his splendid work ! The whole film is based on the huge palace set which was erected and its completely filled with apt set properties. The set-work brought out the look needed for the film and aptly complemented the horror element of the script. Also, his work for the other village festival and etc sequences were rich in detailing. A feather in the cap for Gururaj ! Editing by N.B Srikanth was okay but he could have trimmed the length of the film, which runs unnecessarily long. U.K Senthil Kumar, a veteran and firm favourite of Sundar.C is the cinematographer for this film and his work was functional, but the climax sequence stood out, especially for the scenes involving the river. 

The songs of the film is scored by Bharathwaj and frankly speaking, the songs were just pretty boring and lukewarm. "Kaththi Parvakaari" is the opening song for Vinay Rai and Andrea Jeremiah. Its like a mini-road song, which has all the rural hot-spots in it. The lush greenery and colorful art work by Gururaj, especially with the colorful village festival like set properties, deserves mention. "Petromax Lightu" is a typical dance song, involving Santhanam, Nithin Sathya, Sundar.C, Vinay Rai, Andrea Jeremiah and Raai Laxmi. The indoor scenes were well captured and the song's idea stems from the song "Maama Nee Vaama", which featured in Sundar'C's classic slap-stick comedy, 'Ullathai Alli Thaa'. "Sonnathu" is a female melody shot on Hansika Motwani and Vinay Rai and also had all the typical village locations such as paddy fields, water dam and rural homes as its backdrop. "Unnaiye" is a situational song, which sounds like a typical Rama Narayanan 'Amman' film songs and has a huge Hindu festival as its backdrop. The splendor and richness of the event was well captured on camera and also incorporated plenty of VFX in it. There are cameo appearances from singers Manicka Vinayagam, Dr.Sirkazhi G.Sivachidambaram and Sivashankar Master. The background score is handled by Karthik Raja and his work was functional and fits the horror based sequences, well. 

The story by Sundar.C reminds us of other Indian horror flicks, such as 'Manichitrathazhu', 'Chandramukhi', 'Yaar', 'Muni', 'Kanchana' and etc. Its not a very novel attempt, but Sundar.C and S.B Ramadoss' screenplay tries to keep us waiting for the outcome and potential twists and turns, though the proceedings were pretty much, predictable. One must admit that though the film may entertain quite a few, there are plenty of obvious loopholes and unanswered questions in the film. The film tries to pick up some speed in the second half, especially one the the surprise is revealed during the interval junction, but is hampered by some dull songs and comedy tracks. Venkat Ragavan and Sundar.C 's dialogues were pretty ordinary too, apart from some efforts in the one-liners for Santhanam. Some visuals might be a turn-off or little disturbing for those who are young aged but other than that, 'Aranmanai' isn't really a scary flick. Sundar.C's direction sufficed the needs of the script, although the Rama Narayanan's 'Amman' film-like climax, was over-the-top. 

'Aranmanai' - Unmajestic and run-of-the-mill kind, bearable horror-comedy !


Ratings: 2.5/5 STARS

BY:TAMIL

AINTHAM THALAIMURAI SIDDHA VAIDHYA SIGAMANI MOVIE REVIEW

Bharath's 25th film, 'Aintham Thalaimurai Siddha Vaidhya Sigamani' is produced by Pushpa Kandaswamy on behalf of Kavithalaya Productions. Directed by debutante L.G Ravichandar, this flick is touted to be an out-and-out sit-com, and has a bandwagon of comedy artistes in the cast. Bharath needs a hit to sustain in Tamizh cinema and can he be saved by L.G Ravichandar ?

For Bharath, this film does not provide any platform for him to explore his acting histrionics. The character is way too one dimensional and has been portrayed as the quintessential Tamizh cinema hero, celebrated a few decades back. His dance does not need any mention and he has proved himself to be apt in performing action sequences. He is improving his comic timing and more variations in dialogue delivery and style can yield better results. Nandita has an even smaller scope to act and is just there to complement the hero. Thambi Ramaiah holds the majority screen timing among the other artistes but unfortunately, his characterization was poor and he goes too loud and overboard. The are a plethora of other artistes such as Karunakaran, Immanuel Annachi, Renuka, M.S Bhaskar, Singampuli, Manobala, Chaams, Bose Venkat, Kottachi, Mayilsamy, Badava Gopi, Dr.Sharmila, M.J Shriram, Komal Kumar, 'Kadhal' Dhandapani, Paandu, Madan Bob, 'Nellai' Siva, 'Scissor' Manohar and etc, but none had a purpose in their roles and were literally wasted.

The film's technical output was just pedestrian and has nothing to boast about. Action choreography is handled by Haridhinesh and it should be commended that the stunt sequences did not go overboard and was kept believable. The stunt sequence shot in the coconut farm was the pick of the lot. Art direction is by M.R Karthickrajkumar and he has put in some decent efforts from his side. The Siddha Vaidhya ambiance was well created, especially with all the herbs and set properties associated with that traditional medicine scenario. Also, the grand village home shown in the film was well adorned with set properties, and it goes for the small medical centres portrayed in the film. V.Vijay's editing seems to be like a stroll in the park and sufficed the needs of the director. The basic film editing is there but V.Vijay could have trimmed the film's duration because two hours and thirty minutes is just too much to bear. Cinematography is by P.G Muthiah and the talented cameraman's touches are missing here and apart from the action sequences and for the songs, there's nothing particularly impressive with his work.

Simon's musical score is frankly speaking, below average. None of the tunes is worth listening to and Simon better be prepared the face the music, if his music is not up to the mark. "Kandagi Selai" is the first song and is picturized on the lead pair. A village festive backdrop is used for the song, with all the colorful 'kavadis' and flowers strewn in the song. "The Elarai" has cameo appearances from Gaana Bala and Yobama JO, and was picturized on Bharath and Badava Gopi. Its a typical 'item song' without much focus on the 'item' girl. The beach side setting was the backdrop for this song. "Onnuna Rendu" was sung by Vijay Antony and was picturized on the lead pair, backed up by plenty of group dancers. A beach resort, popular among current Tamizh cinema directors, is used as the backdrop and P.G Muthiah's some good camera movements added a little zing to the song. "Madurai Trichy" is the theme song of the film, and is played during the end credits. The background score is just functional and has nothing remarkable. 

Let's get straight to the point. L.G Ravichandar's idea for this film is to design it as a no-brainer comedy riot, which were popular during the late 80's and early 90's. Sundar.C's films must have been an exemplary template for L.G Ravichandar. But what worked in those days, will definitely not work now, due to the HUGE change in audience's taste and moreover, those flicks had genuinely funny and wacky comedy portions ! 'Aintham Thalaimurai Siddha Vaidhya Sigamani' is just so pre-historic in its making and the scripting and presentation values are just as old as the hills. It does make us wonder, if L.G Ravichandar has seen any Tamizh films in recent years. The comedy portions and jokes fall flat, the artistes are simply wasted, there's no coherence in the screenplay and there's no logic at all in the story-line. The lesser said, (sorry, nothing said !) the better it is. 

'Aintham Thalaimurai Siddha Vaidhya Sigamani' - The joke is on us. This humor is definitely not good for our health or for us !


Ratings: 1.5/5 STARS

BY:TAMIL

SATHURANKA VETTAI MOVIE REVIEW

Thirrupathi Brothers's N.Lingusamy and N.Subash Chandra Bose have joined hands with actor/director Manobala in producing and releasing debutante H.Vinoth's 'Sathuranka Vettai'. Thirrupathi Brothers are on the roll with back-to-back hits with their distribution and by taking up this project, it has raised the eyebrows of many. What does this intriguing project holds for us and can H.Vinoth make a name for himself ?

Casting for this film is just perfect and the choice of ace Bollywood hot-shot cinematographer Natrajan Subramaniam alias Natty, was a brilliant stroke. He is just so apt and terrific with his screen presence and dialogue delivery and though he is not the conventional hero material, he keeps us glued to the film, with a very good performance. His body language was perfect, he could still improvise on his facial expressions but still, it was a great performance from him. The rest of the cast such as heroine Ishaara Nair, Ilavarasu, Ponvannan, Piraisoodan, Valavan, Dharani, Ramachandran Durairaj, Senthi, Vetri, Sathya, Veedu Sureshkumar and etc were perfect choices for their role and each of them made their marks in their given screen timing. Kudos to the director for the apt casting !

Rangasaamy takes care of the costume designing, and he has done a really good job with the limited budget and has taken care of the detailing for each episodes present in the film and the characters involved in each respective episodes. Jayagar Viswanathan's action choreography was functional and there were no elaborate stunt seqeunces in the film. Art direction is by K.Kathir and his work is commendable as well, especially for the multi-level marketing scheme sequence, which has some elaborate designing and set work and also for his detailing in set properties for each episodes. S.P Raja Sethupathy's editing was good in portions and his slick editing for the intense scenes were good, but he could have worked better in the transitioning from one episode to another, in which there was a sense of rush in the cuts. Cinematography is by K.G Venkatesh and his camera work was top-notch, especially for his top-angle & long trolley shots. Do check out the after court scene of Natty before the interval !

Sean Roldan's music is a big plus to the movie and the musical score brings the story forward in many moments. "Porape Nadape" is the only choreographed song, which was fully shot in a bar cum pub like atmosphere, which had a colorful set work by K.Kathir and lighting by K.G Venkatesh. "Kadhala Kadhala" is a bit song which was shot based on the heroine's moment of falling in love, and was a situational song. "Munne Yen" is a montage song, shot on the lead pair and showcased a new chapter in the lead pair's lives and their hardships in a rustic village. Sean Roldan's background score was unique as well and he shows his quirkiness with different and creative sounds for each episodes and shows his prowess in melancholic scores, as well.

A former associate of Vijay Milton, H.Vinoth's 'Sathuranka Vettai' is an interesting Indianized con-movie, with a touch of black humor. The film is interestingly structured in six different episodes and each of them are funnily titled. Each episodes are apparently based on real life scams, which took place in Tamil Nadu and H.Vinoth deserves applause for his homework done, in coming up with a neat plan and how each cons were staged. But, only the last con really stood out for its outrageous audacity taken by the protagonist and the panache in execution of the con. The rest were quite simple and was too easy too fall for, though some were brilliant schemes ! H.Vinoth's taut screenplay doesn't waste any time, apart from the songs and some melodramatic, sentimental moments but the intensity and seriousness involved in such con movies are missing here. Nevertheless, H.Vinoth's dialogues are fantastic and seeps in sarcasm and wittiness and reminds us of the Manivannan of 'Amaithi Padai' days. H.Vinoth, is definitely a talent to watch out for and with more maturity in script handling, he could reap great rewards in Tamizh cinema !

'Sathuranka Vettai' - A pretty cool movie, which could have been much deadlier !


Ratings: 2.75/5 STARS

BY:TAMIL

ENNA SATHAM INDHA NERAM MOVIE REVIEW

The evergreen song from 'Punnagai Mannan' has its title borrowed for this film featuring a quadruplets for the first time in Indian cinema ! Besides that we have popular director & elder brother of 'Jayam' Ravi, 'Jayam' M.Raja making his acting debut alongside with Maanu, of 'Kadhal Mannan' fame. So, what is this film about and will it catch the attention of audience ?

'Jayam' M.Raja and Maanu has very less screen timing and their importance of their role is a big question mark. Both of them appears to have poorly written roles and M.Raja managed to somehow pass through thanks to the director in him. Maanu is just there for the sake of it. Nithin Sathya's role was such a poorly written characterization, it just irritates us the moment we see him on screen ! Sorry dude, but that's the sour truth. Debutante Malavika Wales, looks confident in her role and has a good screen presence, due to her experience in the Malayalam film industry. The quadruplets of V.Aditi, V.Aakriti, V.Akshiti, & V.Aapti looks very identical and performs cutely, but why they were limited to being deaf & dumb is another big question mark. Some of the other artistes who appear in the film are Manobala, Sivashankar Master, Immanuel Annachi, Vaiyapuri, Swaminathan, Puralavan and etc.

Sai Naresh's costume work was very functional and it fits the story, since the the script's story takes place in a single day. Rajesh Kanna's action choreography also was more functional and there are no fight scenes, actually. Art direction is taken care by Suresh Kallery and his work for the properties of the interiors of the female characters' homes, were spot on. Also, the office set was well propped too, alongside the entrance set-up of the depicted zoological park. Editing is taken care of by veteran V.T Vijayan and T.S Jay and their cuts has no gimmicks whatsoever and the veteran has kept the duration of the film, very short. Sanjay B.Lokanath's camerawork sufficed the needs of the script. The shots on animals were good, but apart from that everything else looks normal. Naga takes care of music and only one song appears in the film, titled "Vizhiyaal", which was shot on the kids and their adventures in the zoo. 

Now, this film's content has no relevance at all to its beautiful title, but what irks us the most is the below-par standard of the script and its making ! The film is about a dangerous monstrous snake, which is on the loose in the national zoo and the quadruplets who are stuck in the zoo ! The idea might sound good, but the attempt was worse than amateurish, especially with the screenplay and the characterizations. There's no logic, no continuity, no maturity and no attempt to convince us at all, with the script. The cute quadruplets have nothing to do, except for the climax and the whole film is filled with unwarranted sequences and elements. The helpless police officer, the idiotic news reporter, the unintentionally funny minister, and etc adds more discontentment to the audience ! John Mahendran's dialogues, especially for the comedy portions involving Vaiyapuri and Immanuel Annachi are okay but apart from that, the rest are just below average. Hope Guru Ramesh comes up with a story & screenplay and direct it, the next time !

'Enna Satham Indha Neram' - Nothing said is much better than less said !


Ratings: 1.25/5 STARS

BY:TAMIL

DAMAAL DUMEEL MOVIE REVIEW

Debutante director Shree, a former associate of Shankar during the 'Endhiran' days, has joined hands with some of his mates from the 'Endhiran' stable and comes out with 'Damaal Dumeel'. Touted to be a neo-noir genre or black comedy with some dashes of comedy, it features lesser known artistes such as Vaibhav and Remya Nambeesan as the main leads. Can Shree come up with a crackling product, befitting of the title ?

Vaibhav carries the whole film on his shoulders, because the plot is woven around him. He looks good, enacts well, but the screen presence is missing and he doesn't stand out, especially during the most crucial sequences. A better characterization and vision from the director could have brought out a more enthralling performance from him. Remya Nambeesan has nothing much to do, and is just adequate enough. Kota Srinivasa Rao, keeps our funny bones tickled, with some good comic timing and expressions and his screen presence, is what actually keeps our attention towards the film. The veteran just breezed through the role, yet left his mark. The same cannot be said about Sayaji Shinde, though. His character is of equal importance with Kota's, but the characterization was weak, and his role suffered from poor detailing. Charlie, Venkat, Manobala and a host of newcomers and junior artistes, make up the rest of the small cast.

The film carries some decent technical outputs from the technical crew. Action choreography is handled by G, and his stunt sequences are kept simple and sufficient for the need of the script. The altercations between Vaibhav and the other artistes, taking place in the protagonist's apartment, were realistically staged. K.Arusamy's art direction was neat, especially with the interior works of the protagonist's apartment setting, as well as with the climax paint factory premise. The vision was simple, yet well pulled-off. Editing by Paramesh Krishna was adequate, and he has kept the running time to less than 2 hours. Some of the visual splits, which he employs in the second half, is interesting. Cinematography by A.M Edwin Sakay, was neat and purposeful. The camera movements and the angles used by the cinematographer was simple, yet it did the job of conveying the story's mood and style.

S.S Thaman's soundtrack is good and fits the movie's flow. "Saga Saga" is the opening number and acts as the introductory song of the lead pair. The song was shot in a nightclub, which had all the atypical dark shots, with different lighting. Deepika Kamaiah makes a cameo in this song. The titular track, "Dumeel" is a situational song, featuring montages of Vaibhav, Kota Srinivasa Rao and Sayaji Shinde, trying to figure out plans and 'tactics'. The editing by Paramesh Krishna for this particular song was slick. "Pogadhe Pogadhe", sung by Remya herself, is a bit-song, highlighting an unfortunate incident between the lead pair. "Odi Odi" appears in the climax, and is also a situational song, with some visual split-ups, well thought by the director and executed by the editor. The "Damaal Dumeel" theme music, appears sporadically, throughout the duration of the film. S.S Thaman's background score was good too, especially for the crucial 'twist-and-turn' scenes. Overall, this film would have been a walk in the park for S.S Thaman.

For a first time filmmaker, Shree has some clever ideas, which he has tried to execute well. Unfortunately, the film is riddled with inconsistencies with the scripting and writing. The dialogues by Shree, was just bland and unexciting, which should not be the case in a black comedy. Especially, when you had some good films from the same genre, with excellent dialogues (Soodhu Kavvum & Moodar Koodam). The lifestyle and issues faced by the IT-based employees, were well presented, though and Shree can be commended for that, as well as for not dragging the screenplay with unnecessary sequences. The screenplay was just apt and the director immediately starts off the film, based on the crux of his plot. As mentioned earlier, the artistes suffered due to poor characterizations, wherein their characters lacked the depth and detailing needed, which makes it almost impossible for us to empathize with the lead pair. There is no organic development in the story-line, and everything happens so quickly, without any rational quotient to it. There are plenty of blatant loopholes and glaring gaps in the plot, which were not addressed by the director. The ending was pretty much too simple, which makes all the earlier proceedings to just go kaput, for no reasons. The comedy sequences too, did not work out well, apart from those, which features Kota Srinivasa Rao. Conclusion, 'Damaal Dumeel' would have worked out fine, if this was a short film.

'Damaal Dumeel' - Tame, celebratory 'shoot-out' !


Ratings: 2.5/5 STARS

BY:TAMIL

TENALIRAMAN MOVIE REVIEW

Ace comedian, 'Vaigai Puyal' Vadivelu is back to the silver screen after laying low for quite sometime. The ace veteran has been sorely missed, especially for his gibberish dialogues and slapstick comedies, which are quite popular on private comedy channels. AGS Entertainment has produced 'Tenaliraman', which is directed by Yuvaraj Dhayalan, who previously did the Sadagoppan Ramesh starrer, 'Potta Potti'. Is this a worthwhile project for a Vadivelu comeback ?

The whole film is about Vadivelu and he has donned double-roles in his comeback. He delivers as usual, and the actor has still not lost his terrific sense of timing, when it comes to dialogue deliveries, voice modulation and also with his expressions. As the legendary titular folk hero, the court-jester Tenaliraman, Vadivelu keeps a very measured dialogue delivery sense, a firm body language and cool expressions. Whereas, as the supposedly purported Krishnadevaraya, Vadivelu adapts a more loose body language and brings out his usual antics, especially in the late second half. Though some portions remind us of his 'Imsai Arasan 23am Pulikesi', Vadivelu was still able to bring a marked difference to his character in this film. As for the female lead, Meenakshi Dixit did what she could afford to do, and the statuesque damsel, was okay and had apt dubbing provided by Deepa Venkat. There's, literally an army of cinema artistes involved in this film, playing minor character roles such as, Radha Ravi, G.M Kumar, Manobala, Shanmugaraj, Bala Singh, Joe Malloori, Krishnamoorthy, Namo Narayana, Shakthivel, Chella Durai, Santhana Barathi, Rajesh, Bose Venkat, 'Besant' Ravi, Mansoor Ali Khan, Madhumitha, Devadarshini, King Kong and etc and they were adequate with their performances. 

Technically, the film has some superior works, if you are to consider this as a small budget film. VFX done by White Lottus Mediaaworks Pvt Ltd, was pretty good especially with the long-shots of the kingdom's palace setting and also with the snowy landscapes, portraying China. The film has plenty of CGI-generated shots and the works are exemplary. Make-up by T.V Nehru and costume designing by R.Murugan was very appropriate and colorful, and brought out the colorful nature of the characters involved, especially those which are associated with the monarchical background. Its not an overstatement to say that, M.Prabakaran is the biggest asset to the film crew, when it comes to the technical side. The entire film has been shot in elaborate sets, ranging from palace durbars and courts, private dining and chambers of the royals, the city streets, the Chinese element filled setup, the temple setting, rural villages and many more. Each set was tastefully done on a limited budget, for which M.Prabakaran deserves applause. Raja Mohammed's editing was efficient, with no abrupt cuts, but the second half could have been trimmed, especially with some redundant sequences, which does not add any valuable moments to the film. Ramnath Shetty handles the cinematography department, and his camera movements and angles, made good use of the artificial sets, erected for the film. He manages to bring out the classic feel and look to the film, especially with the palace sequences. 

D.Imman, who is currently on his best phase of his musical career, surprisingly disappoints us with below average songs. "Hey Vaayaadi" is the first song featuring Vadivelu and Meenakshi Dixit, at loggerheads with a dance number. The song was shot on an artificial set, resembling a street setup, filled with small stalls. "Aan Azhagu" is a female solo-song, also shot on the lead pair, with the heroine in an inebriated mood, falling for he Tenaliraman. The song was shot on lavishly colored palace sets, resembling glamorous private chambers, and Meenakshi Dixit pleases us with her dance movements. "Rampaapa" was shot on both characters played by Vadivelu and comes at a crucial episode of Tenaliraman making his return to the kingdom. The song had plenty of extras as dancers and was shot in a palace court-like setup. "Nenje Nenje" is a mild pathos song, in late second half, which had the King Vadivelu in disguise as a commoner, which used the night effect shots. D.Imman makes up for his disappointment, with some good background score, which gives resembles a retro-like feel. Some of the scores, especially for the serious sequences, stand out amongst all.

Yuvaraj Dhayalan, should be credited for bringing back Vadivelu to the screens. What's strikingly apparent in the film's script is the creative inputs of the director. Taking a legendary folk hero's short stories and weaving them together with contemporary social issues and causes, is a praiseworthy attempt. The issue which we get to notice in the film is the matter of foreign direct investments and the hazards it can cause to locals, in spite of the promises made by the foreign affiliates. Yuvaraj does highlight the wrongdoings of present politicians and makes a good amount of satire out of them, through his characters. Aided by the articulate yet simple dialogues of veteran writer Aroor Das, the director was able to present his take on those social issues. But the director gets a little serious in the second half, and the script lightly nods into a melodramatic and sober path and this is where the trouble starts. This film is suppose to be a great comeback for Vadivelu. Bearing him in mind, there's only one thing we are bound to expect, and that's some great and funny comedic antics from him. We don't get to see any outrageous funny moments, the quintessential buffoonery of Vadivelu, nor any side-splitting 'punch dialogues'. So, for those who were seeking atypical Vadivelu comedy, this film is a disappointment. The second half has quite a number of redundant sequences which drags the film and there's not enough exciting or wacky elements to keep us engaged.

'Tenaliraman' - We still miss the full-form wisecracking Vadivelu, indeed !

Ratings: 2.5/5 STARS

BY:TAMIL

NAVEENA SARASWATHI SABATHAM MOVIE REVIEW

Comedy genre is not something new or fresh for Tamizh cinema audience, but infusing fantasy element into it, is a rarity. AGS Entertainment produced, 'Naveena Saraswathi Sabatham', is the debut directorial venture of K.Chandru, who has co-written the script of 'Tamizh Padam' along with C.S Amudhan. With a fresh and experimental combination of next-gen comedy artistes, K.Chandru has attempted to entertain us with comedy, albeit with a clear message. How did this 'modernized vow' of Saraswathi turn out to be?

Jai, after his pleasant performance in 'Raja Rani', had pretty much nothing to do. He was in his utmost comfort zone and has aptly used his shrill voice, for the right moments. Debutante heroine, Niveda Thomas looks sweet and performs well, with good dialogue delivery, which was perfectly dubbed by her dubbing artiste ! Alas, she has an extremely short screen timing, hence the limited acting scope for her. Sathyan and C.Rajkumar of 'Naduvula Konjam Pakkatha Kaanom' were at ease with their roles, particularly Sathyan, who did a great work with his expressions and body language, especially for a photo-shoot sequence in the first half. The one with the 'meatiest' role is none other than 'VTV' Ganesh, who rocks in some sequences, with his trademark dialogue delivery and antics, especially in the second half. On the other side, Subbu Panchu, Devadarshini and Manobala, donned the roles of religious deities Shiva, Parvathi and Naradar, respectively. They were apt choices for their roles and gave good dialogue deliveries, and Subbu Panchu should be appreciated for his funny expressions and voice modulations. Venkat Prabhu and Sam Anderson make fleeting cameo appearances. The rest of the cast such as R.S Sivaji, Chitra Lakshmanan, Swaminathan, Badava Gopi, Vishal Venkat, Rekha Suresh, Ramya Ramakrishnan and etc were apt for their respective roles.

M.P Vanitha Srinivasan's costume designing was okay, though the shoe-string budget is a little evident, especially with the GOD characters. The conventional real-life characters too, were well presented, in terms of costumes. Dhilip Subbarayan's action choreography sufficed the needs of the script, quite well. M.G Murugan's production design is vital, and he has done a good work with the Mount Kailash abode, with touches of contemporary. An unique idea, indeed and kudos to him, for pulling it off. The private abode of Shiva, is the highlight, with modern art paintings adorning the walls ! T.S Suresh's editing was not flawless, as the film moves at a snail's pace in the second half, and the some sequences dragged the length of the film. The transition from GOD's world to the episodes taking place in Earth, could have been smoother. J.Anand's cinematography was average, apart from the beautiful shots of the island for a song sequence, late second-half. 

Music has been handled by newcomer Prem Kumar, and the melodies are worth listening. "Kaathirundhai Anbe" was shot on Jai and Niveda, in montages, with the quirky element of the heroine holding a microphone and singing from it, all the time ! "Saturday Fever" is a clubbing song, and was shot on the gang of four, comprising Jai, C.Rajkumar, Sathyan and 'VTV' Ganesh. The typical color lighting and scantily-dressed Asian girls, are there in the song. "Vaazhkai Oru" is also shot on the four buddies stranded alone in an uninhabited island, with montages of them spending time by doing what they can afford to do. "Nenjankuzhi" is the pick of album, shot on the lead pair, and had some beautiful shots of the island, against the backdrop of dark clouds and blue ocean. R.Kannan, handles the background score and he gives his input with some unique, modern sounds.

The trailer and teasers suggested a touch of 'Hangover', but the director has dismissed the idea, through a dialogue uttered by the protagonist. K.Chandru's script has a good and timely message to the viewers, but the message presentation was corny and ends up being dull. However, K.Chandru should be applauded for his unique ideas (Lord Ganesha on treadmill, Lord Murugan and his Temple Run game on the iPad, Naradhar with a guitar and Lord Shiva with his iMac and etc) along with creative and cheeky dialogues (especially for the 'heavenly' episodes, with the right amount of English and Tamizh mixture, giving those episodes a contemporary feel). The first half was interesting, especially the GOD sequences, which were cutely conceptualized and well executed. The introduction of the human being characters were okay to some extent. But the second half becomes quite tedious with long drawn sequences and K.Chandru tries to cover it up, by spoofing some of the popular Tamizh films. The script is pretty obviously wafer-thin, so K.Chandru should have trimmed the second half, quite considerably. Also, why are Tamizh cinema directors still trying to do cover up with the foreign locations ? Kuala Lumpur has been passed out as Bangkok in this film, and its about time for directors to realize that, its not easy to fool any audience, anymore !

'Naveena Saraswathi Sabatham' - A fantasy comedy, with preachy messages.


Ratings: 2.25/5 STARS

BY:TAMIL

THALAIVAA MOVIE REVIEW

 The coming together of the two Vijays of Tamizh cinema, 'Ilayathalapathy' Vijay and director A.L Vijay, has piqued the interests of Tamizh cinema followers. The intriguing combination, brings two, distinctively different people of styles and cinema, into a single film. The former, for his 'mass' masala entertainer, whereas the latter for his sensitive and slow-moving style of film-making. With a good production crew and a big star cast and top-class technicians, did 'Thalaivaa' really strike a fine balancing-act, en-route to winning the prospective thumbs-up from the general audience?

Its a waste of time, writing and eulogizing the dancing and comedy prowess of Vijay as a star. He has done it plenty of times in his 20 years of cinematic life as a leading hero. Its the actor and performer in him which we would really want to watch on the silver screen and in 'Thalaivaa', our wishes are granted, in commensurate proportions, in terms of space and scope. The first half is the usual act of the charming, lovable and sweet-natured persona, with the perfect comic-timing, smooth dance movements, and cute romantic approaches. The second half is a total transformation all-together, where its dark, gritty and has a serious undertaking in his acting approach. It is quiet refreshing to see him enact a role, which was a fairly well-written one. Though we have seen him in roles which oozes authoritarianism and style, plenty of times, in 'Thalaivaa' he strikes a fine-balancing of doing a fair bit of acting, yet at the same time pull of his distinctive style and entertainer act, with panache. His action and dancing sequences were neatly done, as well. Kudos to A.L Vijay for presenting a refreshing and energized Vijay to us ! 

Veteran, Sathyaraj was brilliant in his short screen-time. His powerful, yet pensive mood suits him very aptly, and for an actor of his stature, it would have been a piece of cake ! Amala Paul pulls of a decent job with her limited role and enhanced the credibility of the character's natural persona by dubbing in her own voice, fluently. Santhanam, as usual pulls of his witty one-liners, with the perfect timing and evokes laughter from us. Its amazing to see this guy pull it off in each and every film he is involved ! The antagonist, Abhimanyu Singh should have done better in his role as his portrayal lacks the intensity, the character demanded. A powerful star cast in Rajiv Pillai, Ragini Nandwani, Nassar, Udhay, Ponvannan, Y.Gee Mahendran, Suresh, Manobala, Subbu Panchu, Kishore, Ravi Prakash and guest roles from Rekha and Sam Anderson, gives the film a solid base, in terms of performances. Good casting from A.L Vijay !

Deepali Noor and Pallavi Singh's costume designing was in sync with the mood change-overs of the film. The lead pair looked very presentable and charming in their stylish costumes, and extra brownie points for the special change-over for Vijay in the second half. 'Stunt' Silva's action choreography was very believable and stylishly done, especially the night fight sequence. Very realistically and subtly handled by Silva. R.K Naguraj's production design, gave the film a very rich and clean look. His props and set work for the second half as well as the cool interiors for the first half, based in Australia was artistically handled and followed a particular color-tone in the change-overs. Anthony's editing is flawless, though the length of the film is rather questionable. The major strength of the film besides the casting is the cinematography and Nirav Shah proves his a wizard once again. Nirav has captured the beauty of Sydney and also the raw and rustic nature of the other side of Mumbai, perfectly ! His color-tones usage for the respective halves in the film, blends well with the mood of the screenplay. His top-angle and tight close-up techniques were well used. Another top-notch work from Nirav !

G.V Prakash usually reserves some of his best for A.L Vijay and he continues it here as well. There is a bit song like a hum, which goes "Thaalealo" in some important sequences in  the film. "Tamizh Pasanga" was shot in Sydney and is a good platform for Vijay to prove his good dancing skills. The set-up was well done for the song, and Sydney's mild weather and clean rive-side environment were well used, as well as able aid from the group dancers. "Sol Sol" was only used as a short bit-song when Vijay casts his eyes on Amala Paul for the first time. "Yaar Indha Saalai" is a sweet song shot in montages, with the splendor and beauty of Sydney in the evening, captured very aesthetically by Nirav. The song has some additional great lines from Santhanam mixed together with the montages. "The Ecstasy of Dance" was the best picturized track in the film. The mellow lighting and the warehouse set, blends surreally with the tune and kudos to Amala Paul for keeping in pace with Vijay for this short soundtrack, with her dance movements. "Thalapathy" is a sort of coming-age song, eulogizing the heroism and savior-nature of the hero, and has good props and detailing and few scenes thrown into the song duration to spice up mood. "Vaangana" is a cute, dance number and was colorfully set-up by R.K Naguraj, with intricate props . G.V Prakash also features in a surprising cameo role in this song. The background score is better in the second half, and G.V Prakash is showing marked improvements from film to film.

A.L Vijay, as mentioned earlier, is someone who churns slow and melodramatic films, with some sort of astuteness. He has experimented this time by imbibing his style into an action story, atypical of Vijay's choice. The experiment is unique and interesting but the doesn't keep us glued to our seats as the film languorously takes it's time to unravel. The first half, though light-hearted, does not serve any strong pertinence to the overall script and theme line of the story. But some shocking turn of events in the late first-half suddenly jolts us out of slumber and again catches our attention for a while. There is nothing new or daringly creative in terms of storyline and script as A.L Vijay has been heavily inspired from particular films done by Mani Ratnam and Ram Gopal Varma, and has also rehashed some of Vijay's earlier films' story-lines ! But what might work for some section of audience, is the treatment and presentation of A.L Vijay, who handles his characters and scrip quite well. His directorial skills is of no question. Only the ability of in-depth and strong script-writing which is a cause of concern. Dialogues are particularly "old-fashioned" and the climax is not so engaging, though it has been well executed and shot by Nirav.

'Thalaivaa' - A decent watch with very less logic-defying "masala" elements, though it is an average commercial entertainer. A fairly higher rating, just for the production values.


Ratings: 3/5 STARS

BY:TAMIL

SONNAA PURIYAADHU MOVIE REVIEW

Shiva, who is fresh from the release of the average-grosser, 'Thillu Mullu' comes up with another comedy caper, which has all the ingredients associated with a 'Shiva'-brand film. A relatively compact team of newcomers, the unit of 'Sonnaa Puriyaadhu' is captained by Krishnan Jayaraj, who was an associate of C.S Amudhan. Bearing the hallmarks of his guru, Krishnan has also dabbled in a spoof-like script and with Shiva in the helm, can they strike another success just like 'Tamizh Padam' ?

Shiva, with his quintessential poker-face reactions, evokes the laughter in most of the scenes and it looks like the whole film has been laid rest on his shoulders alone. His timing and dialogue delivery are just near-perfect, which hits the right, intended notes. He particularly, rocks in the dubbing process sequences, which were just a scream ! Some minor references to 'Chennai 600028' and 'Tamizh Padam' brings 'sweet memories' to us. He has also tried his hands in 'singing' and be sure to check out the opening song he "Rosa Hai" in the very beginning of the film ! Vasundhara Kashyap delivers a neat performance and actually excels in some scenes, but she lacks the necessary charm and 'punch' needed to be on par with Shiva, which is a must for this particular script. Savitha's dubbing works well for Vasundhara.The rest of the cast such as Manobala, 'Blade' Shankar, Vatsala Rajagopal, Aarthi, R.S Sivaji, Meera Krishnan, Singamuthu, Saravanan, Pradeep, chips in at the relevant moments. Not to forget, a funny Sam Anderson cameo is also infused into the script, alongside Gangai Amaran.

Producer Saandika Amarnath, doubles up as the costume designer as well, and the characters looked good in her choice of clothing. T.Ramalingam's production design was not bad, especially with the props of the interiors of plush apartments and also of a well-erected television studio setting. T.S Suresh's editing is just functional and so does R.Saravanan's cinematography works. 

Yathish Mahadev's song recordings were below par, though. The opening credits sequence, starts off with the "Theme Song" of 'Sonnaa Puriyaadhu. "Kelu Magane Kelu" is an sort-of opening song for Shiva in the film, and was shot in general, public places and locations such as malls and parks. "Devathaiye" is a montage song, shot in the greens of the rural and focuses on the marriage episode of Shiva's buddy, in the film. "Gaaliyaana Saalai" is a love melody between the lead pair, and has been shot at a pristine seaside resort by cinematographer R.Saravanan. "Un Thozhil" is a pathos song, which functions as a situational song and was shot in slow montage sequences of Shiva's. Instrumentals such as "Sagaroo" and "Dance To It" are used at certain points of the screenplay.

Krishnan Jayaraj has developed a screenplay based on a simple idea envisaged by Yathish, but the actual USP of the film must be credited to the dialogues. Written by K.Chandru and D.Saravana Pandian, the lines are pretty humorous and cheeky. And with Shiva at action, there's no need of assurances for them to make sure that their dialogues will reach the audiences. Krishnan Jayaraj has tried to pull off something like 'Tamizh Padam' but his attempt unfortunately, goes vain as the screenplay and direction lacks class in handling. Some of the sequences were amateurishly and poorly dished out, especially the television game sequence. Though T.S Suresh has tried to keep the pace of the film as crispy as possible, the second half drags a little, but the blame should fall on the director's shoulders as, it is his screenplay which stretches the pace. But credits to him for coming up with good characterizations, especially of Vatsala Rajagopal's, who plays an elderly woman who is obsessed with her iPad and an active user of social medias !

'Sonnaa Puriyaadhu' - Works in bits and pieces. And only for a few, folks ! (Shiva fans, to be precise)


Ratings: 2.25/5 STARS

BY:TAMIL

THILLU MULLU MOVIE REVIEW

'Thillu Mullu' is a legendary film, directed by K.Balachander and ably performed by Superstar Rajinikanth and Thengai Seenivasan, who made their roles memorable ! And when one is to remake one of the classiest comedy films of Tamizh cinema, it takes a bucket load of guts and dare to do it, and to have Shiva to reprise the role of Rajini's, the stakes just shoot several notches higher. Badri has taken the extremely daunting challenge, by remaking the cult hit. Did he succeed in making any sort of justifications for his actions ?

Shiva, does what Ajith did when the latter donned the role of 'Billa', another role made memorable by Rajinikanth. He made the role as his own, without any imitations of the Superstar. His stoic expressions, with a poker face, is his USP and he plays to the gallery with them. He pulls of his comic portions with consummate ease ! The naughty and quirky smile adds more sheen to both character(s) he portrays in the film. Prakash Raj, dons the role of Thengai Seenivasan's, and he too follows Shiva's way by not imitating the legendary actor, and utilizing his own creativity to the hilt. It must have definitely been a cake walk to the veteran performer. Isha Talwar makes her debut in Tamizh cinema, and is lucky enough to have an easy role to do. A big bunch of comedians such as Kovai Sarala (in her usual loud self), Soori, Sathyan, Manobala, Ilavarasu, Sachu, Monisha, Devadarshini, Ajay Rathnam, Swaminathan, Ashwin Raja and George contribute to the fun quotient of the film. As for cameos, there are Venkat Prabhu, cinematographer Sakthi Saravanan, rapper Blaaze, Bosskey, Valeri Nobbe, and Shivashankar but the grandest of it, goes to the one and only Santhanam, who was in his usual wise-cracking elements ! He takes center-stage in an extended cameo, and happily entertains us, with his one-liners !

The technical department of the film was functional with their contributions, and there's pretty much nothing to rave about in particular. 'Thalapathy' Dinesh and 'Dragon' Prakash's stunt choreography was quite overboard, though it fitted the style and presentation of the overall film. R.K Vijay Murugan's production design was okay, especially with the interior props of the protagonist's middle-class home and the posh bungalow and office premises of Prakash Raj's character. Praveen K.L and Srikanth N.B have done their best, to keep the film racy and not languorous in its pace, though two songs in the second half were absolute speed breakers. J.Lakshmanan's cinematography was adequate, though his song picturization was quite ordinary, considering the brilliant works being showcased in contemporary Tamizh cinema by fellow cinematographers.

M.S Viswanathan and Yuvan Shankar Raja join hands for the first time in composing songs for a film. The legendary latter's two songs have been retained for this film, while Yuvan has composed another set of two fresh songs. The cult opening title song, "Thillu Mullu" had both the composers making a cool cameo, along with Canadian singer Tha Prophecy, in a video song mixed with funny montage clips. "Kai Pesi" was shot on the lead pair, in nice locations with simple building landmarks, and interspersed with funny montage sequences of Shiva day-dreaming of his heroine. "Aaja Aaja" was shot in a Dubai club, and also had scenic views of Dubai, with a glamorous Isha Talwar. "Raagangal Padhinaaru" was also shot in more picturesque locations in Dubai, especially in the desert landscape. The background score was just functional, along with some nice touches of melody, sprinkled in few moments.

Badri has taken the basic thread of Sachin Bhowmick's story and Hrishikesh Mukherjee's screenplay and made a more contemporary slapstick mould of the original comedy film. The film is enjoyable, especially with the funny and wacky one-liners of T.Balaji and Ramesh Vaidhya's. But for those who have watched the original, the unchanged storyline might bore you, since one is familiar with all the twists and turns. Badri has made use of his artistes USP to good use for the film and incorporated all of their pluses into his style of presentation of 'Thillu Mullu'. As mentioned earlier, the crisp film could be even better, if the songs did not play as mere speed-breakers, especially in the second half. Some sequences have been especially inserted into the screenplay, just for the sake of making use of the artistes' performance style and ability. The eccentricity and zany attitude of the original is not present in this, loud and clumsy film, which might be a turn-off for the fans of the original.

'Thillu Mullu' - Badri comes unscathed in his remake attempt but still some classics can be just left untouched.


Ratings: 2.75/5 STARS

BY:TAMIL

ETHIR NEECHAL MOVIE REVIEW

One of the most eagerly spoken about films, is this Dhanush produced 'Ethir Neechal, starring the upcoming hot-shot Sivakarthikeyan and a host of youngsters. Sivakarthikeyan has been notching up the ratings, due to his immense reach, attained during his television days. And the extra USP of having Anirudh as the music director, who dished out chart-busters, once again. It looks like the season of Vetrimaaran's former assistants, coming up with their own directorial ventures, and R.S Durai Senthilkumar joins the fray as well, through 'Ethir Neechal'.

This protagonist role of 'Ethir Neechal' is a tailor-made role for Sivakarthikeyan, who excels in his comic timing. Not just in his dialogue deliveries, but also through facial expressions and body language, which are signs of very good improvement ! He's not bad in the emotional scenes as well, but it was still not good enough to rate his full capability in the acting quotient. Priya Anand breezed through her role as the beautiful girl-next-door teacher. Nandita of 'Attakathi' fame has a more stronger role, but a brief one though, yet she still makes a mark. Satish, as the sidekick of Sivakarthikeyan, was a scream with his in-your-face one-liners and is delight to watch in his combination scenes with Sivakarthikeyan. The next hit-pair ? Most probably ! Jayaprakash and Ravi Prakash, handled their roles very diligently. The rest of the cast such as Suza Kumar, Swaminathan, Manobala, Aarthi, Madan Bob and a cute cameo by 'Attakathi' Dinesh were adequate.

The film carries very neat and crisp technical works from the crew. Anu Parthasarathy's costume designing for Priya Anand was brilliant and Priya was looking gorgeous indeed ! 'Mirattal' Siva's action choreography was functional. G.Durairaj's art direction was very good, as he has maintained high production value, with an obviously low budget. There are plenty of locations in the film such as tailor shop, classrooms, training room, offices and the final marathon sequence, were all well neatly brought out, with the necessary props. G.Durairaj is turning into a  favorite among the medium budget producers ! Kishore T.E's editing was flawless, as he keeps the film crisp and the flow of the screenplay, in check. R.Velraj's cinematography is dripping in quality, with apt camera positioning and framing. His camera movement is slick, the cool ambiance was a fine touch and his lighting for the dimly-lit sequences, were brilliant as usual ! Also, R.Velraj camera angles in tight spaces, worked out well for the necessary scenes.

Anirudh Ravichander's music, as mentioned earlier, was brilliant and peppy. The sort of attention-grabbing genre for the youth. "Nijamellam" has Sivakarthikeyan trying to woo Suza Kumar and has cool picturization from R.Velraj. The narrow alleys, wide beach section, crowded bus interiors, were all shot in montages. "Boomi Ennai" was pictured on Sivakarthikeyan falling for Priya Anand and is a another typical dance number with plenty of locations and crisp editing. "Velicha Poove" was the best shot song, in the postcard-worthy locations of Andaman and Nicobar. The camera movement and angles were very good and accentuated the lovely mood of the song, shot on Sivakarthikeyan and the Priya Anand, who was looking gorgeous to the tilt ! "Local Boys" was a super-fast number shot on a bar atmosphere, with plenty of props. The highlight of the song though was the cameo appearances by Dhanush, the classy Nayanthara and also by Anirudh himself ! The title track of "Ethir Neechal" was shot on Sivakarthikeyan and Nandita and has montages of the protagonist going through intensive training for the penultimate marathon episode. "Un Paarvaiyil" was a situational song shot on Sivakarthikeyan setting his sights on Priya Anand for the first time. Anirudh rocks in the background score department as well, with good touches of rock and melody elements. Being an ardent A.R Rahman fan, the background score does have some moments, which were obvious inspirations from A.R Rahman !

R.S Durai Senthilkumar's script, was very simple and straight-forwardly written. There director plays no hanky-panky in the screenplay. The love scenes were cute and amusing, the comedy portions were humorous, thanks to the witty one-liners and the emotional sequences were just nice and was not overtly melodramatic. The debutante director, has extracted exactly what was needed from his cast and his vision of his script, is full of clarity. A subtle message is woven into the screenplay, without being too preachy and obvious. The only downside of the film is that, it might not satisfy all section of audience, as its low in content. The film is not particularly racy, though its commendable that they have kept the length of the film, short. The transition from comedy to seriousness, from the first to second half, was rather formulaic, but the director can be excused, as he has come up with a neat entertainer.

'Ethir Neechal' - delivered nothing more and nothing less than promised. A clean entertainer !


Ratings: 2.75/5 STARS

BY:TAMIL

ONBADHULA GURU MOVIE REVIEW

P.T Selvakumar, the manager of 'Ilaiyathalapathy' Vijay for nearly 30 years, turns director with 'Onbadhula Guru'. With an interesting ensemble cast of youngsters, P.T Selvakumar promised a good comedy film, which will make us forget our worries, and enjoy the comedy, unabashedly. Did he deliver, as he promised ? Did the years of experience, being a manager of a very popular star, help Selva in his tryst ?

We were reminded that the movie is about 4 Idiots, but then it should have been captioned as 4+1 Idiots. Vinay Rai, makes his mini-comeback in this film, and he has more of the screen space among all the 'Idiots'. He tries his best to deliver his dialogues well and maintain a good timing in his comedy. Though far from being perfect, he is passable and with more experience, he can improve his acting capabilities. Sathyan's dialogue delivery was good, as he is always funny with his voice modulation and not far behind him was Chaams, though he had limited screen timing. Arvind Akash, was okay and the additional 'Idiot', Premji makes his presence felt by mocking Tamizh cinema heroes and Tamizh cinema's landmark films and scenes from those films. Lakshmi Rai, makes an entry late into the second half, and was adequate, though it must be noted that she is a little out of shape. The film has a host of artistes doing minor roles such as Manobala, Manthra, Sona Heiden, Geetha Singh, Karthika Shetty, Roopa Shree, Yogi Devaraj, Chitra Lakshmanan and etc. All of them were sincere to their roles, though whether did it leave any impact, is a different question all together. Besides them, we do have 'Powerstar' Dr S.Srinivasan and director K.S Ravikumar, doing cameo roles !

The technical department's job were ordinary and nothing to rave about. N.J Sathya's costumes were too colorful and loud. R.Janaa's art work was simple, especially for the outdoor sequences, though his detailing could have been much better. Silva's one stunt sequence choreography was sufficient enough for the scene. P. Sai Suresh's editing and P.Chelladurai's cinematography were just okay. Music director, K's songs are not even hum-worthy, and is immediately forgettable. "Alayaadhe Summa" is the song which is played during the opening credits and has 'Powerstar' Dr S.Srinivasan doing his funny dancing jigs. He is accompanied by Sathyan and Arvind Akash, and the song is shot mostly in the outdoors, such as parks. "Theera Theera" was picturized in a college setting, and has plenty of merry and dancers, regularly associated with such type of songs. "Vaa Machi" is a song which pokes fun at marriage and the tune is eerily similar to K's previous "Bar Anthem" in 'Mugamoodi'. The picturization is not much different from the earlier mentioned, two songs. "Maidha Maidhaanam" is a club song, which has Lakshmi Rai shaking her legs. It has some creative editing, but with minimal impact. The song had cheesy lighting, and costumes of the artistes, should have been better.

First things, first. Mr. P.T Selvakumar, what genre does your film belong to ? Is it a regular comedy movie, or is it an out-and-out spoof movie ? We have no clue on what were Selva's intentions, and all we can see is just an onslaught of spoof scenes, from the start, till the end ! A majority of the film's scenes were irrelevant and has no purpose. Tamizh cinema stars were made fun of repeatedly and apparently, Suriya was the most targeted, conspicuously. As the spoofing goes on tirelessly, the audience starts to get tired fast and lose interest in the proceedings. What's even more pathetic ? Most of the jokes or spoofs, fall flat and fails to evoke even, the slightest of chuckles, barring one or two, here and there. And the credits can go to the co-dialogue writer M.Ashok Kumar. What's really shameful, are the crude and crass jokes made out of women, which is unacceptable at all ! There is no connectivity between the scenes and a coherent screenplay, as well. Slapstick comedy is a tricky tread, and one can only pull it off, if there's an excellent writing and an equally excellent casting. 'Onbadhula Guru' fails badly, in pulling off such an attempt.

'Onbadhula Guru' - Its even more shocking to see the film ending with a note that there's a sequel to it, with 'Powerstar' as the main lead ! P.T Selvakumar, should seriously consider not going ahead with a sequel, unless it changes hands, to another director !


Ratings: 1.25/5 STARS

BY:TAMIL